Tensions between the United States and Iran flared on Monday following a sharp exchange of threats over the Strait of Hormuz, even as diplomatic teams in Switzerland secured a preliminary roadmap to end the war.
The public spat ignited after President Donald Trump warned he would seize control of Iran if the vital oil shipping route is closed again. Speaking about his warnings to Iranian officials, Trump said, “you close [the strait] and you won’t have a country,” according to reports on Sunday. He added, “You won’t even make it back to your f***** country. We’ll take over the rest of the country.”
Iran responded swiftly on social media. Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, fired back directly at the U.S. president.
“You make threats; we take action,” Azizi wrote. “The Strait of Hormuz is neither your personal casino nor the backyard of modern-day pirates; these are Iranian sovereign waters, and the ultimate decision rests with the noble people of Iran and its brave armed forces.”
The strategic waterway remains a volatile flashpoint in the conflict. Iran had lifted an effective blockade last week under a temporary ceasefire agreement to allow for peace talks. However, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards declared the channel closed again on Saturday in response to recent Israeli military strikes in Lebanon. Despite the maritime friction, ship-tracking data on Monday showed a slight uptick in oil tanker traffic through the strait, though daily crossings remain a small fraction of pre-war levels.
Meanwhile, face-to-face negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar yielded concrete progress during their first session in the Swiss resort of Buergenstock. The two nations issued a joint statement confirming that the U.S. and Iran have agreed to a 60-day roadmap aimed at finalizing a permanent end to the war.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters in Switzerland that Iran has agreed to re-admit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Vance called the development “a major milestone for the American people, and the first step in permanently denuclearizing or permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran.” He noted that despite Trump’s public rhetoric, the president had asked the diplomatic team “to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran.”
The Swiss talks also established a direct communication line to protect commercial shipping in the strait and created a mechanism to stabilize a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The diplomatic breakthrough came despite a rocky start to the weekend, which saw Iranian negotiators briefly walk out over what they termed Trump’s “insults.”
The diplomatic friction extended to the domestic front on Sunday night, when Trump lashed out at media coverage of the conflict. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused The New York Times of “treason” for running a piece that questioned what the war had actually achieved. Trump labeled the reporting “fake and made up,” adding that he would include the newspaper in an ongoing multi-billion-dollar lawsuit.
Further complicating the regional picture, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Monday that the Israeli military has no intention of withdrawing from its security zone or the captured Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. The position highlights the fragility of the broader regional ceasefire as technical talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives continue in Switzerland through the rest of the week.
READ: Fox News’ Mark Levin Blasts Trump Admin For ‘Bullying’ And ‘Trashing’ Israel Over Iran Peace Deal
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